


Breathing Life Into a Stone

by Starkindler



Series: House of Fire BDSM AU [1]
Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Alternate Universe - BDSM, Dom/sub, Flogging, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-05
Updated: 2012-09-05
Packaged: 2017-11-13 15:12:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,783
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/504841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starkindler/pseuds/Starkindler
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Switch Danny Williams was assigned to the murder investigation of John McGarrett, he thought he had a simple murder investigation, if one could ever be called that. Then he walked into the crime scene and came face to face with Dom Steve McGarrett, and his world was turned upside down. Now, on top of being transferred to a new job and getting used to a new team, he has to deal with a boss who makes him feel things he never thought he'd feel towards a Dom.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Breathing Life Into a Stone

**Author's Note:**

> Author's Notes: If you recognize some dialogue, that's because it's from the show. This particular story, much of it anyway, follows the storyline in the pilot episode, so I've picked up some of the dialogue that could be used from the point of view in which this was written. I have altered, deleted, or added dialogue where needed to fit this particular universe, when it comes to the scenes from the pilot that I did include. All recognizable dialogue is accredited to those who actually wrote it for the pilot episode, and not me. 
> 
> This universe is inspired by the BDSM universes of [Xanthe](http://xanthe.livejournal.com/238192.html) (that links to her permission post...links to her stories found in the sidebar) and [Keira Marcos](http://www.keiramarcos.com), and this is written with both blanket and more specific permission respectively. This is my own universe, however, and this story is NOT a part of those universes. 
> 
> Also be aware that this is not a how-to guide for the BDSM lifestyle at all, and is intended to be escapism only, not real life fact. What I’ve written here and will write in the future is how I wish to portray this universe (which is a world where everyone is either a Dom, sub, Switch, Asexual, or Nondynamic), and should never be used as an instructional guide. 
> 
> The art was created for this story by the wonderful adrianneb78239, who did a fantastic job with the artwork. My gratitude and lots of hugs goes to her for creating this art for my story. The banner you see below. All other artwork found on the links to the story or on the artist's own master post. Seriously, go and give her some love. She did a wonderful job. [Find artwork/link to artwork here.](http://starkindler.dreamwidth.org/24768.html)
> 
> Beta done by the wonderful Janet. Thank you so much!

~*~

 

Monday morning dawned bright and almost cheerful. The sky was a vibrant blue, the crystal clear waters of the Hawaiian coast seemed to be doing their damndest to create those perfect waves the more insane of the populace enjoyed for some unfathomable reason, and inside the Williams' household, Danny was cooking breakfast for his favorite person on the planet. 

Danny whistled softly as he slid scrambled eggs onto two plates, arranging them so they hugged the curve of the small stack of silver dollar pancakes, and headed toward the kitchen table. "Gracie!" he called out. "Breakfast is ready!" 

"Coming, Daddy!" Grace yelled from upstairs, and within a few moments, he heard the thundering of her feet as she barreled down the staircase.

"Careful, Monkey," Danny said, shaking his head and smiling to himself as he went to the counter and poured them both a glass of juice. 

"Sorry, Danno," Grace said as she slid into her seat. "Do you think we can go do some sightseeing or something this weekend?" 

"Sure," Danny said, placing the glasses on the table before going back for another cup of coffee. "We'll figure out what we want to do in a few days. I'll look into some options."

"Okay," Grace said.

"Is Mr. Hoppy all ready for school?" Danny asked, referring to the white rabbit he'd bought his daughter a few days ago, as he poured a small amount of syrup over both their pancakes. 

Grace nodded as she stabbed her fork into the pile of fluffy eggs. "He's in his little cage, and I have his food and his bowls in my backpack," she told him. "Can I buy lunch at school today? They're having the pizza, and I like it."

"Sounds good to me," Danny said. "You got your card?" Every kid who went to Grace's private school had a special lunch card, which was scanned whenever they bought lunch, and the parents were sent the bills at the end of every term. It saved everyone the hassle of forgotten or lost lunch money, and forgotten or ruined lunches, and the school had a backup system in case the kids forgot or lost their cards. 

"In my backpack, too," Grace said. "Are you going to pick me up today, or am I coming home with Mrs. Benning?" 

Mrs. Benning was the housekeeper and Grace's part-time sitter. When they'd moved to Hawaii, he'd interviewed several couples, but Mrs. Benning and her Dom, who was their sometime cook and groundskeeper, were by far the best of the lot. In the eight months they'd lived on Oahu, Danny's instincts about the Bennings proved to be spot on.

"Mrs. Benning will pick you up today. I'm working a pretty big case, and I've got a few things to follow up on," Danny told her. "I'll try to be home early though. If you get your homework done before I get home, you can try to kick my butt at Mario Kart."

"Deal," Grace said, grinning as she shoved a large piece of pancake into her mouth.

Danny snorted at his daughter's lack of manners and turned to his own meal.

****

After Danny dropped Grace and Mr. Hoppy off at school and he put in a call in for a warrant for surveillance on Doran, he stopped by the precinct to check out the results of some evidence that had come in for the McGarrett case, and then he headed toward the McGarrett home. 

Danny took a deep breath and let it out slowly. It was an awful case. A former cop murdered in his own home, a gunshot wound to the head. John McGarrett was not only a well-respected cop, but a well-respected Dom as well, who had lost his sub and wife to a tragic car accident, from what he'd learned. Even knowing the little he knew about McGarrett, Danny thought he probably would have liked him. 

When he got to the house, he let himself in, determined to have a look around and see what the crime scene unit had missed – not to disparage the law enforcement on his new home, but some of their crime scene investigators left a little to be desired.

The professionalism and the thoroughness of the crime scene units was one of several things he missed about New Jersey. The Chief of Police in Newark was probably one of the gentlest Doms Danny had ever come into contact with. He would know, since the man had been his mentor when Danny was a rookie, and he'd spent a lot of his off hours in the man's presence. However, when he'd been put in place as the top dog, the man proved to be a hardass and borderline sadistic in the way he made sweeping changes to how the department worked and what he would tolerate from his officers, and God help anyone who crossed the line. Within the year, he'd smoked out every bad cop in Newark, beat them mercilessly, and had them arrested for their various crimes. Everyone learned quickly to toe the line, and crime had gone way down in the city over the next couple of years. Danny adored him, and was proud to say that everything he knew about police work, he'd learned at Stephen Torrance's knee. And if he learned a few other things from the man during his off hours, well, it only benefitted the subs Danny sometimes took to his bed.

A sound from inside the garage caught his attention and Danny drew his gun. Quickly he rushed toward the entrance to the garage and circled behind the car that took up much of the free space. He saw a man standing in the back of the garage, near the table. He was tall, well-built, and, Danny suspected from the way he carried himself, lethal in a hand to hand situation. Pointing his gun at the man, he yelled, "You! Hands up! Don't move!" 

The other man pulled a gun out of his own holster in a split second and aimed back at him. Definitely lethal. "Who are you?"

Who the hell was this man to question him when he was in an active crime scene? Seriously, what was wrong with him? "Who are __you__? I am Detective Danny Williams..."

"Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett!" Well, that explained it, if the man was telling him the truth, and from the look in his eyes, Danny suspected he wasn't lying. "This is my father's house."

"Put your weapon down right now. I'm Honolulu PD..." Danny said, more annoyed than anything that the man was arguing with him. Instincts told him the man wasn't going to hurt him, or he would have done it already. 

"Show me your I.D.!"

Danny glared at him. "You show me your I.D.! Right now!"

"I'm not putting my gun down."

The nerve of this guy. "Neither am I." 

"Use your free hand, take out your I.D."

Yeah, like he was going to fall for that. "Please, after you."

"At the same time?" the other man offered up as a compromise.

What? Were they five? "At the same time?" he repeated, not bothering to keep the sarcasm out of his tone.

"Yeah, at the same time."

"What, like, on the count of three?" Danny felt like he was talking to some smartass kid.

"Sure. Okay, three's good."

As Danny counted off to three, both he and the other man carefully reached for their IDs and showed them to each other. A small part of him felt like crap when he realized it really was John McGarrett's son standing before him. He couldn't even begin to imagine how horrible Steve McGarrett felt at the moment. Danny knew the funeral had been held that morning, so the man must have changed and headed right over to the house from there. 

Danny put away his gun. "Listen, uh, I'm really sorry about your father, but you can't be here right now. This is an active crime scene."

"Doesn't seem that active," McGarrett said to him, and the dig rankled. 

"I can't share any information with you," Danny said, and he really couldn't, though he wished he could, just to let him know he was working the case, and he was doing everything he could possibly do.

"Hesse wasn't here alone when my father was murdered," McGarrett told him. "Someone was sitting at the desk in the study – there was a space clear for a 13-inch laptop and my father hated computers."

Son of a bitch. He'd known the crime scene guys had fucked something up, but he hadn't been sure what it was. Hence him being here today. Still, it set his hackles to rise that this man was looking at him as if he were just half-assing his father's investigation. "I'm gonna ask you again – please leave and let me do my job."

"You got it," McGarrett said as he picked up the toolbox that had been sitting on the table and moved toward the door. 

Danny heaved a deep sigh of exasperation. He knew his day had started out way too good. "That box is evidence in this investigation," he said, turning around as McGarrett passed by him. "You know that." 

"I came with this," McGarrett said, holding up the box.

Danny stared at him for a moment, sure that his expression was the one that Torrance had deemed his "what the fuck?!" face. They'd spent far too much time naming each of their faces, if Danny wanted to be honest with himself. "What, do you think I'm an idiot? No, you didn't come with it," Danny said, motioning toward the table. "I see the dust void it left right here on the counter. So, what's in the box?"

McGarrett looked at him with a little smirk on his face, one that started a war within Danny concerning whether or not he should knock it off McGarrett's face with a well placed fist to the jaw, or step up and lick it right off, which only served to piss him off more, because now was not an appropriate time for his submissive side to make itself known, and certainly not to this man, and definitely not in this house. 

"How long you been with the Honolulu PD?" McGarrett asked him.

Oh, he really did not like Steve McGarrett. Not at all. "How the hell is that any of your business? What are you, Barbara Walters?" he asked, wondering what the hell how long he had been at the department had to do with wanting to know what was inside a tool box.

"No, but you're investigating my father's death, so it is my business."

With the urge to just reach out and clock the man in the face rising, he made the decision not to rise to the bait any longer. "I am, and I'd like to get back to that, so the sooner you leave, the sooner I can get back to my job," he said calmly.

"Anything you say," McGarrett said, his words taking on a very slight snotty tone as he reached for the box again. 

"Leave the box or get arrested, all right?" Danny said, tired of dealing with Steve McGarrett. If he never saw the man again after this investigation was over, it would be too damn soon.

"You gonna call for backup?" McGarrett asked, the challenge clear in his voice.

So that was the way he wanted to play it? A person trying to assert their authority by using their personal dynamic wasn't new to Danny, and when it came to that, he could give as good as he got. Giving him a look that said he was dead serious, he said, "An ambulance." The guy may have a good half a foot or so on him, but Danny knew he could pack a punch that could send bigger men than Steve McGarrett to his knees. 

Danny watched as McGarrett put the tool box back down. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet," McGarrett said as he pulled a phone out of his pocket. 

Danny frowned, wondering who the hell the man was going to call that would make it okay for him to fuck up his crime scene and potentially destroy any chance of making the charges stick to the bastards who'd done this. "What are you doing?"

McGarrett held up a finger as he held the phone to his ear. "Uh, yeah, Governor Jameson, please? Tell her it's Steve McGarrett."

Danny rolled his eyes. "Oh, please." As if he really believed that the guy had an in with the governor.

McGarrett hit a button on the phone and suddenly on the speaker, he heard a woman's voice. "Commander, Jameson here. What can I do for you?"

Danny just stared at him and then shook his head. He leaned against the car while McGarrett spoke to her, and he stared in disbelief as McGarrett was sworn in. Then McGarrett hung up and said, "Now it's my crime scene," and snatched up the toolbox. He exited the garage, leaving Danny staring after him. 

After several moments of stunned disbelief – because what the fuck had just happened? – Danny stalked out of the garage and through the house, glaring at McGarrett as he came into his line of vision, those fleeting moments of warm, subby feelings and any sympathy he had for a man who just lost his father taking a backseat to the fury he felt over knowing this guy was going to fuck everything up. "Good luck with the case. When the guy walks for murdering your father, because my guess is you know fuck all about proper police procedure and pesky little things like laws that have to be obeyed in order to get charges to stick, remember that this was all your idea."

"I have full immunity and means, Williams," McGarrett said, not bothering to look at him as he perused the files Danny had brought with him. 

"Which means shit when you're dealing with an actual court system. Might get you off the hook for bad behavior and let you in any door you want without repercussions, but you still don't get to trample all over everyone else's constitutional rights," Danny snapped back as he headed toward the front door. "But I guess you Army guys know everything, right?"

As Danny opened the door, McGarrett yelled out, "I'm in the Navy!"

Danny turned and the two stared each other down for a few moments before Danny said, "Please, hold your breath while I go find the part of me that gives a fuck," before walking out and slamming the door behind him.

Sliding in behind the wheel of his car, Danny closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths while he decided what he was going to do. Going home to relax for awhile was out of the question, because after his divorce from Rachel, he promised himself that he'd never bring this kind of anger and overall bad feeling into the house with his girl, and it didn't matter that she wasn't there. The precinct was out, because he really didn't want to have to deal with anyone's shit about getting the case taken away by some Navy guy. 

The only option was to go hang out at the little apartment he rented. He'd really hate it if he had to live there, but it was good for bringing home men or women for playtime.

One last deep breath and he pulled out of driveway and headed toward the apartment.

~*~

An hour after he got to the apartment, just as he was thinking about leaving, the skies opened up and started drenching the entire area. With a sigh he sat back and waited. Ten minutes later, he heard a car pull up outside and a door slam. Not long after that, there was a knock at his door, and as he hauled himself out of the chair, he wondered what idiot was knocking on his door in weather like this.

Pulling the door open, he came face to face with Steve McGarrett. Of course. 

"I swung by your precinct, spoke to your captain. He said you requested a wire be put on someone named Fred Doran. Tell me about it," McGarrett said as he pushed his way inside the apartment.

"Come in," Danny said, rolling his eyes and closing the door. 

"This your kid?"

Danny turned to see him holding the picture he usually kept in the drawer. "You're a regular Kreskin, aren't you?" Danny said, heading into the bathroom and pulling a towel off the shelf.

"You don't actually let her stay here with you, do you?" McGarrett asked as he walked back into the room.

Handing him the towel, Danny looked around. The apartment wasn't great, and he didn't buy expensive stuff to put into it, but it wasn't that awful. "What are you, Nanny 911?" he asked as he went back to sit in the recliner. 

"So, what do you know about this guy...Doran?" McGarrett asked as he tossed his file onto the sofa and rubbed the towel over his hair and face. 

"Oh, but surely, you don't need __my__ help, right?" Danny said, making his tone as snotty as he possibly could. 

"Enlighten me," McGarrett said, unfazed by his tone. 

Danny thought about telling him where to shove his request. It was really tempting, but knowing he was just looking for the guy who killed his father tempered the urge and he said, "He's a suspected arms dealer. Two years Maui Correctional for weapons possession. He's currently a person of interest in an unrelated homicide. The weapon was never found."

"So, what's he got to do with my father's case?" McGarrett asked as he sat down on the sofa.

Danny sighed and rubbed his face. "When I ran a ballistics comparison to the bullet that killed your dad, I got a hit to the Doran investigation. See, I think the first thing that Hesse did when he got on the island was hook up with Doran and get a gun."

"And maybe Doran still knows where he is, so let's go talk to him." McGarrett shot up like he was on some kind of spring and looked ready to bolt out the door.

Danny frowned and shook his head, not moving an inch. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Excuse me? Are you suffering from dementia? This is no longer my case."

McGarrett sighed and looked down at him. "The captain said you transferred in from New Jersey six months ago, so your eye's still fresh."

"You know, I appreciate it, but my psych eval's not for six weeks."

"You have a couch that's clearly a fold-out bed and no ring on your finger. You obviously moved here to be close to your daughter. Which means in between visits, all you got is your job and you take pride in it. That's what I'm looking for."

Danny stood up and stared at him. "First of all, what you know about me could fit on a postage stamp, with plenty of room left over. Second, you are one of those guys who thinks he knows how to do everything better than everyone else, and it makes my job hell on earth. Guys like you don't make anything easy."

McGarrett shrugged. "You got no choice, Detective. Governor gave me jurisdiction. I'm making you my partner. We're gonna get along great."

Danny watched McGarrett walk out of the apartment, sighed, and ran his hand through his hair. "Great. Just great. Just what I need," he muttered as he grabbed his keys and then shoved the picture of Grace into the drawer. He never kept it out, because the people he brought here had no business asking questions about his daughter. He ignored the fact that he didn't mind all that much that McGarrett had seen it.

Outside, where it had quit raining as suddenly as it had started, he found McGarrett standing by the driver's side of the car. His eyebrows shot up as McGarrett held out his hand and did the universal "gimme" sign. 

Danny glared at him. "Excuse me? You think I'm letting you drive my car after you basically shanghaied me? Get your ass over to the passenger side!"

McGarrett smirked at him and moved around the car, stopping when beside him. Then he leaned down close to his ear. "You know, you're kind of hot when you yell at me."

Danny felt his face heat, and he rolled his eyes and pushed him toward the passenger side. "Just get in the car."

They were both quiet for a few minutes before McGarrett looked over at him. "So, what did you mean, what I know about you could fit on a postage stamp? Because I'm guessing I got something wrong back there. Want to enlighten me?"

"Not particularly, McGarrett," Danny said as he changed lanes. 

"Steve. You can call me Steve."

"Well, Steve, about the only part of that you got right is that I'm divorced," Danny said. "I guess you can call me Danny."

"Thank you. So, from the look on your face, I don't think it was very amicable."

Danny snorted. "No, it wasn't. It resulted in me getting full custody of my daughter, my former submissive losing all her rights, and me moving to this...island, because it was the place my baby girl chose when I decided I needed to be as far away from my ex as possible without leaving the States."

"Wow. She really must have pissed you off," Steve said. Several moments passed before he added, "So, you're a Dom. I was getting some submissive vibes from you, so I was a little confused."

Danny sighed. "I'm a Switch, actually," he said as he got off the highway and turned onto the road that led to the dump Doran called a home. 

"A Switch, huh? Interesting." 

Danny wasn't entirely sure he was comfortable with the tone of that interesting. But he didn't have time to dwell, because his phone went off. Picking it up, he said, "Hey, Monkey. You have a good day at school?" It had only been a half day, since the teachers had some sort of parent-teacher thing going on for the next few afternoons.

 _ _"Yes, Daddy. They really liked Mr. Hoppy!"__

Danny smiled. "I knew Mr. Hoppy would be a big hit."

 _ _"Can we go to the beach this weekend? I know we have a beach in the backyard, but I mean like a real one, with people around and stuff,"__ she asked, her voice hopeful. 

"The beach?" he said, wrinkling his nose. "Well, why don't we talk about what to do this weekend later, like we talked about?"

 _ _"Okay,"__ she said through a mouthful of whatever. __"Will you be home early?"__

"I hope so, sweetie. Danno loves you."

 _ _"Love you too, Danno. Bye,"__ she replied and hung up. 

Steve was quiet for a few moments, but Danny could almost hear the wheels turning in his head. Finally, he spoke. "Who's Danno?"

"Don't," Danny said, glaring at him briefly. 

"What? It's a simple question."

"That has an answer you do not need to know. Drop it please?"

"Okay, fine," Steve said. 

"Thank you." 

"So, you don't like the beach?" Steve asked.

Danny frowned and glanced over at him. "What?"

"When 'Monkey' asked about the beach, you had a face. You don't like it?" 

Danny sighed. God, the man was nosy as hell. "No, not all that fond of the beach. I like city life. Not saltwater in my eyes, or sand in places it has no right to be. Or jellyfish. The city doesn't have that."

"At least tell me you can swim," Steve said.

"Can I swim?" Danny said, staring at him. "Yes, I can swim! I actually can swim very well, thank you very much. It's just not on my top ten list of the most fun activities I can get up to." Steve's expression was still skeptical when Danny glanced his way, but he ignored it. "Oh, look, we're here. Can we go and find Doran now?"

"Sure," Steve said, reaching for the door handle.

"Whoa, wait a minute. We need to wait for a little thing called back up," Danny said, glaring at him.

"You're the backup," Steve said, grinning at him as he shot out of the car.

Muttering under his breath, Danny resisted the urge to beat his head against the steering wheel and got out so he could catch up with Steve, before he ended up getting himself killed.

~*~

In retrospect, repeatedly poking a Navy SEAL, especially one who was a Dom, in the chest while yelling at him about what an idiot he was wasn't his best idea, but he had to admit, the punch he'd landed after Steve had let him up had really made him feel better. 

Their suspect was dead, Steve nearly got himself killed, and Danny got grazed on the arm, but they did find that poor girl Doran had locked up in his trailer, so it hadn't been a complete waste of time. But now they were driving back into town, and Danny refused to speak to Steve, who kept alternating between looking at him and at the scenery, occasionally opening his mouth as if to say something. Danny watched all of this out of the corner of his eye and had to bite back on a laugh that wanted to escape, because Steve looked really stupid doing it. He was, however, still pissed as hell for the whole getting shot thing and Steve nearly getting himself taken out as well. 

Finally having enough of the twitching, Danny snapped, "Can you just stop with the constant looking back and forth. There isn't a freakin' tennis match going on in front of us. You're giving me whiplash over here."

"How's the arm?" Steve asked, his eyes turning to gaze out at the scenery again.

"You know, we were doing really good with the whole not talking thing. How about we go with that and just not do it?" Danny said, keeping his eyes on the road.

"Right now, or ever again?" Steve asked, shifting his body so he was facing more toward Danny, and staring at him. 

"Both work for me," Danny said, turning his head briefly to look Steve in the eye as he spoke, and then back to the road.

"You know, you're kind of sensitive," Steve said, and Danny could hear the amusement underlying his tone.

"Sensitive huh?" he asked.

"Maybe just a little," Steve replied.

"When exactly was I sensitive? When a bullet ripped through my arm? That when I seemed sensitive?" he asked, glaring at Steve, who shrugged and tried not to smile.

"You know, I get that you're not afraid of anything, what with that GI Joe thousand-yard stare of yours, and chasing shoe bombers across the globe, but for the rest of us, who live in actual civilization? We have things called rules, which is the glue that separates us from the animals, like jackals and hyenas –"

"Jackals and hyenas? Really?" Steve asked, interrupting Danny's tirade.

"Click on the television and watch Animal Planet on occasion. Do you spend all your time in a cave?" Danny snapped. "My point is, when you get somebody shot, rules say the polite thing to do is to say 'I'm sorry', okay? A simple little phrase that doesn't require a special occasion like a birthday or Christmas or Valentine's Day," Danny went on, realizing that Steve was trying to say he was sorry in the background, but too wound up to stop now.

"I'm sorry, okay?" Steve said, his voice rising over Danny's, cutting off Danny's momentum. "I am really, truly sorry, all right? It's what I've been trying to tell you since last year, when this conversation started."

Danny slowed down and stopped at a red light and then looked over at Steve, whose expression was now devoid of all amusement and mockery, and he actually looked completely sincere and apologetic. God, he was a sucker for this man. It was both pathetic and a little disgusting how quickly Steve got under his skin. Sighing, Danny said, "Your apology is noted, and acceptance is pending."

"You let me know then," Steve said, his mouth twitching.

"Will do. Just don't get me shot again today or it will be most violently rejected," Danny said. "And you will get to be the one to tell my daughter that you got her dad shot twice in one day."

"Deal," Steve said, eyes roaming over him as they wanted for the longest light in the history of lights to turn green. "You know, I can see why a lot of Doms like Switches. The combination of dominance and submissiveness is really a turn on."

Danny rolled his eyes and then glared at the light. "Is this thing stuck or something?" he muttered. Then he turned to Steve. "And I can see why Switches tend to stick with each other or take submissives and only play with an occasional Dom. You're such a pain in the ass."

"I could be if you wanted me to be," Steve said, waggling his eyebrows comically.

"Oh my God, my daughter is more mature than you," Danny said, hitting the gas as the light finally turned. "This is a sad state of affairs, my friend."

Steve laughed and then said, "Take the next left up here. I think I know someone who can help us."

Danny nodded, more than willing to let their conversation go.

 

~*~

Meeting Chin Ho Kelly had just as an intense effect on Danny as meeting Steve McGarrett. With Steve, Danny pretty much wanted to roll over, present his ass to Steve, and beg for the man's cock – he was man enough to admit it, even if it was just to himself. With Chin, he kind of desperately wanted to tie the man to the nearest bed and fuck him incoherent. 

Chin was beautiful, had an extremely Zen attitude about everything, and even in the stupid rent-a-cop uniform the man exuded pure sex. The Consort markings of the __Lokelani__ house adorned the right side of his neck, marking him as one of the most sought after submissives in the world, coming from such a small and exclusive pleasure house, and as a pure hedonist. 

It made the accusations against him all the more puzzling, because Danny knew that a Consort, especially a collared one – as Chin had been prior to the black mark on his career – wouldn't risk his reputation for something like stealing cash. Which meant his House likely knew something about it, but like all pleasure houses, wasn't required to reveal anything by law, unless it dealt with direct physical harm to another. Still, it should have told the department something about the situation since _Lokelani_ hadn't removed his mark. 

Danny wondered who exactly Chin was covering for and why. Steve didn't seem to buy it either, because when he'd asked Chin if he'd done it, Chin had said no, and Steve immediately believed him.

Meeting Kamekona was a real experience, and resulted in them wearing huge t-shirts and carrying around shaved ices that were actually pretty good. Pineapple wasn't necessarily his favorite, but he got Steve to trade with him and all was good. Watching Steve interact with the little girl was a moment he would cherish forever, since it was nice to see that the man wasn't good at something. But they got the information they needed on where to find Sang Min, a man who was reputed to bring in people from China who were desperate to leave and sold them into slavery and milked them for all the money they were worth. A regular piece of scum, if Danny's opinion meant anything. 

Kono Kalakaua, Danny thought upon meeting her, was a force to be reckoned with. Watching the Domme punch that guy in the face had made both he and Steve a little weak in the knees, and her smile lit up the beach brighter than the sun, it seemed, when she greeted her cousin, Chin. Danny might have been a little stupid over meeting her but got over it quickly, filling her in on the task they needed her for. She agreed, and it seemed their little group was complete, and they headed off to find themselves a human trafficker. 

~*~

Danny found himself back at the McGarrett home while they waited for word from Chin. It made sense, since most of the case files and evidence were sitting there in the living room, but he still found it kind of morbid. John McGarrett's blood was still spattered all over the den. It couldn't possibly be good for Steve's psyche to be spending any significant time in the house before it was cleaned up by the crime scene cleanup crew. 

He, however, wisely didn't say anything. Steve may seem somewhat laid back when not diving head first into danger – from what little he'd witnessed in the hours they'd worked together – but Danny had no doubt the man was a Dom through and through, and add Navy SEAL to that, and Steve wasn't someone he wanted to piss off, especially not with this particular case. 

While Steve went through the files and did some more research on whoever it was that was in the house with Hesse, Danny went to retrieve the surveillance equipment they'd requested, and he'd caught up with Chin at the new headquarters, which were smack in the middle of a makeover, to give the place a onceover. Then he'd headed back to the McGarrett home, leaving Chin to deal with Sang Min and scope out where he wanted to put the new state-of-the-art computer they were getting.

He went inside with the box and greeted Steve as he closed the door. "Hey. Chin's setting up the meeting with Sang Min right now, and here's that surveillance equipment."

"Thanks, Danny," Steve said, though he sounded distracted. "Come look at this."

Danny put the box down and stepped up to Steve, who was standing by the table, leaning over and peering at the computer screen. "Who's that?"

"You don't recognize him?" Steve asked, moving over a little to give Danny a better view. "This is Jovan Etienne. File says he worked for the Russians as a computer programmer in SVR." Steve straightened up. "He was here when my father was murdered. I found his palm prints in the study, partial boot prints in here."

"Are you certain the boot prints weren't Hesse's?" Danny asked, though he had the sneaking suspicion that Steve was pretty much positive about it. 

Proving him right, Steve said, "Hesse wears a size eleven, the same as me, but double-E. The prints were smaller, and all of Hesse's footwear is custom-made: direct-injected polyurethane mid-sole with a nitrile rubber outsole. No off the rack for that prissy-assed sub. He did two sessions at _Libertine_ before being marked. He's a pure masochist, and if he weren't a psycho, they probably would have made him a Consort. I think if they ever get hold of him, he'll be stripped of his markings, though."

Danny stared at Steve, eyebrows rising so high he could barely blink. "Okay, did anyone ever tell you that your brain is a miserable place to live?"

Steve tilted his head and thought about it for a moment. "A few people have, I think. My sister, definitely."

"You should listen to them. They're very smart people," Danny replied, rubbing his face. "Okay, I need a beer." Danny rolled his eyes when Steve grinned a little, and headed into the kitchen. He'd just pulled out two beers when Steve came in, a clean, fresh t-shirt in hand. 

"Thanks," Steve said, taking the beer from his hand. "Let's go out back."

Danny followed Steve outside, walking slowly. Steve put his beer down on the chair and pulled his shirt off. Danny's eyes drifted down over Steve's broad back to the tattoo gracing his lower back. "Bellevue Master. Nice," Danny said. 

"Four sessions," Steve said, turning his head to smile at him before pulling his shirt back on. "What about you?" 

" _Bellevue_ , five sessions, Master-Courtesan status. _Libertine_ , two sessions. While I do enjoy a little pain with my pleasure, I'm not high enough to rate as a masochist or a sadist. They wanted to make sure I was able to master the pain kinks I did have, and to be able to give a submissive or Switch with pain kinks like mine what they need. My father is a masochist, my mother a sadist, so I was a legacy."

"Impressive," Steve said. "Most Switches don't bother with that much schooling, since it's so expensive."

Danny answered the hidden question in that statement. "My grandfather set up a trust fund for each of his grandchildren for our education, both academic and pleasure. There was enough for me to do all seven sessions, go through college, and put down a pretty good down payment on a house after I got married. I was the only one who got such an extensive education in my family, though. Most of them only did a couple of sessions each, having other things they wanted to do with the remaining portions of their funds."

"I'm sure that in your case at least, it was money well spent," Steve said, eyes traveling over Danny's body as he picked up his beer and sat down.

Danny felt his face flush and quickly sat down on the chair next to Steve's. 

"You going to tell me what Danno means?" Steve asked. 

"Depends. You going to tell me what's in the box?" Danny retorted. 

"Honestly? I don't know what's in the box. All I know is that my father wanted me to find it. Right now it's just a puzzle," Steve told him, and took another drink of his beer.

"You know, me and Grace, we like puzzles," Danny said, though he wasn't sure why he'd said it. Bringing up Grace now probably wasn't a good idea; it might invite questions he didn't really want to answer. 

"You're a good father," Steve said suddenly.

"I try to be," Danny said. "I'm not sure I always succeed. I worry about some idiot meth-head shooting me, and then what happens to my daughter? But this job...it's what I'm good at. My father was a cop, a good one, and it's all I ever really wanted to do with my life. I just worry about Gracie."

"I think she's proud of you. I know I was proud of my dad, even though I knew his job was dangerous, and he might get hurt or not come home one day. I think Grace probably feels the same way," Steve said, his tone gentle. 

"Yeah, I hope so," Danny said with a sigh. "Now, if you cease and desist with getting me shot, we'll be good to go."

Steve chuckled and sat back, and the two watched the waves crash into the shore for a few minutes, before Steve's phone rang. "Yeah. All right. Good work," he said, and then hung up the phone.

"What have you got?" Danny asked.

"That was Chin," Steve told him. Sang Min bought the pitch and will meet with Kono tomorrow morning."

Danny could practically hear the hope vibrating through Steve's words. "All right, but it's still no guarantee that he's gonna tell us where Hesse is." He really didn't want to dash the man's hopes, but he also didn't want him to have overreaching expectations.

"He has to," Steve replied. "This is the only chance I have of finding the man who killed my father."

"I know," Danny said. He looked back at the house. "Are you going to stay here tonight?"

Steve shook his head. "I'm going to stay at a nearby hotel. It's weird enough being here during the day. His blood..."

"Yeah, I know," Danny said softly, reaching over with his left hand and squeezing Steve's knee. "Come on. Let's go get some dinner. My treat."

"I know a great pizza place," Steve said as they got up. "Make the best bacon and pineapple pizza on the island."

"What you people do to your pizza on this island is a travesty," Danny said, shaking his head. "And what's worse, is you're dragging my daughter along with you. She loves pineapple on her pizza. I'll make you the same deal I make Grace. You can have your half of the pizza however you like, as long as your pineapple cooties don't infiltrate my half. Deal?"

Steve grinned at him. "Deal," he said. 

"Come on, get your stuff and I'll drop you off at the hotel afterwards," Danny said. 

~*~

Danny stayed awake for awhile after he got into bed that night. Spending time away from work with Steve was an eye opener. As a Dom, the man wasn't overbearing in the least. He had a commanding presence that told everyone exactly what his dynamic was, there was no doubt about that, but he was courteous to the submissive that served them, and to Danny himself. Danny was used to Doms trying to, well, establish their dominance with him, for lack of a better term, particularly because he was a Switch.

But Steve was different, and he'd found that he enjoyed spending time with this Dom. Perhaps too much, and that was what kept him up for over an hour before finally slipping off to sleep. He wasn't quite sure what he dreamed of during the night, since it mostly slipped away once he woke, but he was sure Steve was a feature player, and he woke up hard enough to drill a hole in granite. It had only taken a few strokes to get him off while thinking about Steve, and then he tried to smother himself with a pillow until Grace beat on his door, telling him it was time to get up and get ready, and she wanted oatmeal for breakfast.

The rest of the morning was spent doing their normal routine, dropping Grace off at school, and then heading over to the McGarrett home – he had a difficult time thinking of it as Steve's place, though it probably was now, if the guy really decided to stick around – to gather the equipment they needed.

~*~

The taking down of Sang Min wasn't easy – the man wasn't as stupid as they'd hoped – but in the end, they got the information they needed from him, and they all came out unscathed. Even better, they'd been able to save all those people Sang Min had smuggled in, and they'd been able to reunite a daughter with her parents. That was enough for him to get a little misty-eyed. Just a little. And he was entirely certain no one else noticed. 

Danny worked with getting the people out of the trailer and into the transports the police sent, while Chin and Steve took care of interrogating Sang Min. He didn't know what they were doing. He didn't want to know. Ignorance was bliss where Steve McGarrett was concerned, Danny was sure about that. Looking at the haunted expressions on the faces of the Chinese immigrants Sang Min had smuggled in, Danny really didn't care much what they did to the bastard.

Several minutes later, Steve came striding out of the warehouse, a determined look on his face. 

"I take it he talked," Danny said, falling into step beside him.

"Yeah. He's on a Chinese freighter that's about to leave port," Steve said. He flashed his ID at an officer. "I need your vehicle."

The officer, seeing the look on Steve's face, held up his hands and backed away. Danny smirked as he slid into the passenger's seat, and he hadn't managed to even put his hands on his seatbelt before Steve was taking off in a cloud of dust, lights flashing and siren blaring.

The ride over was something not even a psychologically disturbed masochist would enjoy. Most of it was spent holding on for dear life – really, he wanted to know where the hell Steve McGarrett learned how to drive, so he could go there and shoot his instructor – and only half listening to the argument Steve was having with the governor. 

After Steve hung up, it was silent in the car, since Steve had turned off the siren when he'd got hold of the governor. About a mile or so from the docks, he finally turned to Danny. "You never told me who Danno is."

Danny turned to stare at him with his best "what the actual _fuck_?!" face – and he may or may not have practiced that one in the mirror when he was younger, so shut up – and said, "Really? You want to talk about this _now_?"

Steve glanced at him before watching the road and shrugged. "Sure, why not? You never answered my question earlier, and I'm curious. So?"

Danny rolled his eyes. "Okay, fine. Grace couldn't say my name when she was three. All she could say was 'Danno', and it stuck. She's called me that ever since. Happy now?"

"Ecstatic," Steve said, throwing him a smile. "You didn't have to hide it. It's cute."

"Shut up," Danny snapped, glaring at him. "It's a father-daughter thing, so stay out of it."

Steve threw another glance his way; this one was amused, no doubt about it. "You know what you need?"

"Oh, I can only imagine," Danny muttered. "And what would that be, oh mighty guru?"

"You need someone to tie your ass up and fuck you until your brain cells stop functioning at their current rate of speed," Steve said. "They're burning themselves out with sexual frustration or something. When's the last time you let someone take you down?"

The answer to that was depressing, so he just glared at him. "How the hell is that any of your business?"

Steve shrugged and then stopped the car at the end of the dock. "There it is. The _Emma Carl_." 

"It's taking off. How do you want to do this?" Danny asked, mind immediately drifting away from his long drought when it came to playing with a Dom and onto their task at hand.

Steve's only answer was to check the magazine in his gun, and Danny rolled his eyes. "All right then." He held on for dear life while Steve drove the car right onto the ship and stopped in the middle of gunfire. 

"Cover me. I'm gonna find Hesse," Steve said. 

Danny got out on his side and shot at the guy who was firing at them, giving Steve the time to get out of the car and race off. Danny managed to take out a couple of others and then shot a third in the knee after executing a perfectly serviceable somersault, if he did say so himself. 

He watched from his vantage point as Steve shot Hesse, and then he ran over to the guy he'd nailed in the knee. Kicking away the gun, he told the bastard, "On your stomach! Don't make me shoot you again."

"Have the Coast Guard find that body," Steve said to him from above them as Danny cuffed the guy. 

"What do you want me to do with this one?" he asked, tapping the guy he was kneeling beside between the shoulder blades. 

Steve, all bloody and bruised, grinned at him and said, "Book him, Danno."

"What did I tell you about that?" Danny asked. Then he frowned down at the guy who was wiggling next to him. "Where are you trying to go?" He stood up. "Go ahead. You want me to shoot you? Stop. Just stop." By the time he looked back up, Steve had walked away. 

By the time the police got there and the idiot who was trying to inchworm his way across the ship was in HPD custody, Steve was at the tender mercies of the paramedics, who were insisting he go to the hospital to get checked out fully. Steve very manfully pulled out his best puppy-eyed expression and pleaded for help from him, but Danny just smiled and waved him away. 

Instead, Danny got a ride back to their new headquarters at the Aliiolani Hale, which had once been the judiciary building, but they'd received a brand new building a few months prior, leaving the building wide open for the new task force. It was still undergoing its makeover, with cracked glass being replaced in the office windows, the entire thing being repainted, the floors refinished, and general restoration for a building that was one of Hawaii's historical landmarks. 

At the same time, their new equipment and furnishings were arriving, so everything was a mess. But for the most part, the area that they would probably use most was completed, more or less, and Danny snagged one of the larger offices for himself. He was working on organizing the files on the McGarrett case when Steve walked in, arm in a sling and bruises covering his face. 

"Hey," Steve said, tossing an envelope onto Danny's desk and turning around.

Danny frowned at the envelope and picked it up. "What is this?" he asked.

Steve sighed and turned back around to face him. "Three nights at the Kahala Hotel. I know you're going to say no..."

"Yeah, I am," Danny said. "You really have a problem with that apartment, don't you?"

"Grace deserves to have a fun weekend, and I know she wants to do something special. I heard this place has a pool and you can swim with the dolphins and stuff. Just take it."

"We don't actually live in that apartment, you know," Danny said. "We have an actual house that has an actual beach on it. I only use that place for when I play. I won't take anyone home I'm not serious about."

Steve frowned. "But your file lists that as your primary residence."

"Yes, for security purposes. I don't want some thug finding out where I really live and taking it out on her. My residential address is need to know, and it's not listed in my generic file. Only a few people have access to it and will only reveal that information in emergencies," Danny said. "Still want me to take these?"

Steve nodded. "I think she'll have fun," he said and smiled at him.

Danny snorted. "You look like crap, you know. Thanks for these."

~*~

Trying to find a name for their task force was a lesson in masochism that Danny had never thought to divulge in, but he'd had a lot of fun, sitting around and listening to the increasingly ridiculous names Kono and Chin in particular came up with, trying to outdo one another. Some of them were so long their perps would be able to get on a plane and make it to the mainland before they were done saying them. But even Danny couldn't deny it was fun, sitting there and getting to know his new teammates a little in a setting that didn't have the possibility of one of them getting shot.

After awhile, Danny looked at his watch and his eyebrows shot up. "Okay, I've gotta get going," Danny said, standing up and dropping his beer bottle in the trash. "I promised Grace I'd be home early tonight."

"Wife?" Chin asked him.

Danny shook his head. "Nope. She's my beautiful little daughter, the light of my life," he said and grinned at the resounding chorus of "awws" that erupted. "I will see all you crazy people tomorrow."

Danny was heading into the parking lot when he heard, "Danny! Wait up!" shouted behind him. Turning around, he watched with appreciation as Steve jogged toward him.

"Something I can do for you, Commander McGarrett?" Danny asked as Steve caught up. 

"I thought I told you to call me Steve."

Danny smiled up at him, enjoying the slightly irritated look on Steve's face. "What's up?"

"Well, for one thing, you forgot this," Steve said, holding up the envelope with the hotel information. "Didn't want someone to swipe it or anything."

"Thanks," Danny said, taking it from him. "Anything else?"

Steve stepped closer and even more into his personal space than he already had been. "Yeah, I was wondering if you'd like to go out with me on Thursday night."

"You mean, like a date?" His smile widened when Steve rolled his eyes and huffed a little. 

"You're gonna make me say it, huh? Yes, like a date. Thought maybe we'd get something to eat, maybe go to this nice club I know," Steve said, his hand moving forward to slide across Danny's waist and come to rest on his hip. "And maybe afterwards we can get up to something else entirely."

Damn, the man was dangerous. It was all he could do not to press himself against Steve's body when he nodded. "Yeah, I think we can do that. Just don't get me killed beforehand."

"I'll do my best. We'll talk details tomorrow?"

"Yeah, that'll be fine," Danny said. His breath caught when Steve leaned down and brushed their mouths together. 

"See you tomorrow," Steve said, giving his hip a light squeeze before backing up and then turning to jog back to the palace. 

"Dangerous," Danny muttered to himself as he headed to his car.

 

~*~

By the time Thursday rolled around, Danny was a nervous ball of anticipation. For the rest of the week, though they hadn't had any cases to speak of, the entire team had been down at headquarters, unpacking and setting up the new equipment and furniture, getting their offices just the way they wanted them, and spending some time just getting to know one another. 

Steve had also used the time to drive Danny crazy. Little touches at random times, the occasional pulling him into a secluded area for a quick kiss, the little (and not so little) innuendos. He, of course, was fooling no one, if the amused and indulgent looks on Chin and Kono's faces were any indication. There was also a slightly wistful expression that occasionally flitted across Chin's face, and Danny wasn't quite sure what that was about. It was too soon to ask, he thought, and put it on the shelf to come back to later, when they knew each other better to really pry into each other's lives. 

Now Danny was at home, standing in front of his closet, trying to figure out what it was he wanted to wear, and didn't that make him feel like he did when he was newly marked and on his own for the first time? 

"Whatcha doing?" 

Danny turned to see Grace standing in the doorway, watching him, head tilted to the side the way it did whenever she was trying to figure something out. "Danno has a date tonight, and I'm trying to find something to wear." Danny watched her closely for any discomfort, but he saw none as she strode up to his closet and started looking.

"Hmm," she murmured as she searched through the non-work section of his wardrobe. "Well, what kind of date is it? Is it a guy or a girl, and where are you going?"

Danny smiled, amused by his daughter. "Guy. Dinner and then we're going to some upscale club he likes."

Grace looked through his clothes with all seriousness, and he kind of wanted to pick her up and cuddle her, she was so adorable. "I think you should go with leather. I like these," she said, pulling out a dark brown pair. 

The pants' leather was soft to the touch, and he knew how good his ass looked in them. He chose a tight white T-shirt that was a little dressier than his usual T-shirts, and chose an aqua button down for dinner, since he wasn't quite sure where they were going to have dinner, and he didn't want to be too casual. "Thanks, Monkey."

"No curfew for you tonight, but you better be home before I get up, because I want pancakes and bacon for breakfast. And fresh squeezed orange juice!"

Danny bit back a laugh and watched his daughter race out of the room. "You got it!" he called after her, grinning and shaking his head. Man, he'd never understand how he managed to get such a great daughter. 

~*~

As per their agreement, Steve pulled up outside his actual home at seven o'clock. Danny walked out as soon as he heard the truck horn blast. It wasn't that he didn't want Steve in his home. It was more that he didn't want Grace to meet Steve just yet, more because he just knew she'd take to Steve like a house on fire and Steve would get that face of his, and then they'd never leave the house, and Danny really, really wanted to get fucked sometime tonight. Preferably more than once. And that just wasn't going to happen if those two came face to face.

" _This_ is your house?" Steve asked as Danny strode toward him. The surprise on his face was more than worth not telling Steve much of anything besides his address and that it was on the beach. 

Steve was leaning against the fender of the truck, and there was enough light coming from the headlights and the lamps near the street to see him clearly. He was dressed in black leather pants and a dark purple dress shirt. The man looked like sex on legs, and it took him a moment to get his mind to focus on what he'd asked. 

Danny turned to look at his and Grace's not-so-modest two-story home with its own private beach and waved when he saw Grace blatantly staring at them, assessing Steve from a distance. "Yeah, that's it. It's the one Grace really liked, and this entire move was for her as much as for me, so I let her have what she wanted," Danny said.

Steve waved at Grace and then escorted Danny to the passenger side of his brand new truck (Danny fully planned on finding out tonight if this truck was overcompensating for something, because the sheer size of it seemed a little too Freudian). "From the look on her face from here, I'm going to go out on a limb and say Domme?"

Danny glanced at him, amused, as Steve opened his door for him. "Yeah, thank God. I'd probably worry myself into a stroke if she'd been a sub. She's my little girl, and before I realized her dynamic, the thought of having to beat off Doms with a whip was a little horrifying."

Steve laughed and closed the door after Danny slid inside. Danny waved at Grace once more and grinned as she flashed him a big smile and stepped away from the window. "She seems protective of you," Steve said as he hopped up into the driver's seat.

"She is. I tried to shelter her as much as I could from the entire fallout with Rachel, but she's a smart kid and very observant. I don't think she knows much in the way of details, but she knows what her mom did was pretty bad. I know she misses her sometimes, but she doesn't ask about her." Danny took a deep breath as Steve backed out of the driveway. "So where are we going?"

Steve wisely took the hint to change the subject, instinct telling him that further conversation concerning Rachel would be a real mood (not to mention date) killer. "There's this Italian place about a mile from the club. It doesn't look like much on the outside, but the sub who owns it is also the chef, and her food is out of this world. Like, authentic Italian food. She's actually from Florence. She met a guy from here when he was vacationing in Italy, and apparently it was love at first sight. He collared and married her within the week he was there, and they've been together for thirty years. The restaurant's been around for almost that long, and is a really big hit with the islanders. Everyone tends to keep its existence secret from the general tourist population."

"They get enough business without the tourist dollars?" Danny asked as Steve drove toward the southern part of the city. 

"Oh, yeah. The place is two-stories; kitchen, bar, and large, open dining room downstairs, and small private dining rooms upstairs. Place is always full. When you said yes, I called and got a reservation for a private room," Steve told him, reaching over to take his hand, his thumb running soothing circles against his skin. 

"Cool," Danny said, feeling unaccountably pleased that Steve went to the trouble for a private room. 

The rest of the short trip was made in comfortable silence, which Danny knew was done on purpose, to allow his mind to settle down and allow him to begin sinking into the right mindset for the night. By the time they reached the restaurant, Danny's nerves had settled and he was beginning to feel how Chin usually looked. 

The small dining area they were led to was comfortable and a little decadent. The small, circular dining table was covered in a creamy beige cloth tablecloth, trimmed with blood red roses and green, leafy vines. The plush parts of the mahogany dining chairs matched the tablecloth in both color and embroidery, as did the submissive seat that was available. The other half of the small room housed a small coffee table, a small loveseat, and a chaise lounge that all matched the décor of the room. The walls were the same beige, with mahogany trim, and pictures from Rome and Venice adorned the walls. The carpet was wine red and so deep and soft, Danny wondered how many people forewent the sofa and the chaise and just fucked right there on the floor. It was definitely a thought for a later time, but tonight, he had other plans, and hoped that Steve did too.

"I prefer the anticipation," Steve murmured in his ear as he took the seat their waiter pulled out for him. 

Danny took the other chair as it was pulled out for him, foregoing the sub-seat for dinner, and it seemed like Steve didn't expect him to take it. Perhaps he'd surprise Steve and use it for dessert.

"How do you feel about wine?" Steve asked, looking at the wine list he was offered. 

Danny sat back and perused the menu. "I prefer red to white," he replied. "I was thinking of getting the lobster risotto, then the ribeye steak and the spaghetti."

"That sounds really good," Steve said. He turned to the waiter after a moment and said, "We'll have the Barbaresco Santo Stefano di Neive." 

"Excellent choice, sir," their waiter, a stunningly beautiful, collared submissive said to them, taking the wine list. "Are you ready to order?"

Steve looked to Danny, who nodded. "Two lobster risottos, and two ribeye steaks with roasted potatoes, asparagi al prosciutto, and the house spaghetti."

"Very good, sir."

Steve turned to him as the waiter left. "I really am glad you agreed to come out with me," he said, moving his chair closer to Danny's and taking his hand. "I have to tell you, I kept waiting for you to change your mind over the last couple of days."

Danny let his surprise show as he threaded his fingers through Steve's. "Why would I have changed my mind? There are Doms that would kill to be in my position with a Dom like you, let alone other Switches and subs."

Steve shrugged. "I've never had a sub I've felt such a deep connection with. I've had my fair share of dates and short term submissives, but never anyone I ever connected with like I did with you."

Danny could see how uncomfortable Steve was, confessing that and letting his vulnerability show, and he squeezed his hand. "Well, I never had any intention of backing out, so we're all good. Now, why don't you tell me about your time in the Marines?" 

Steve glared at him but his eyes were dancing and his mouth was twitching. "The Navy, Danno. I am a _Navy_ _SEAL_ ," he said, and Danny smiled and listened while Steve told him a little about his time in the military. 

Dinner went even better than Danny'd hoped. The food was delicious, the restaurant instantly Danny's favorite place on the island, and he made a mental note to bring Grace here one evening, because she loved Italian food almost as much as he did. If Steve played his cards right, he might even let him come along.

They ordered tiramisu for dessert, and as soon as the waiter left the room, Danny moved to the other side of Steve and slid onto the small bench, closing his eyes and letting the tension in his body go as he lowered his head in submission. 

"Jesus Christ," Steve whispered harshly before reaching over and running his hand over Danny's hair. "Do you have any idea how gorgeous you are?"

"Thank you, Sir," Danny said softly as he felt his face heat. 

"Here," Steve said after a few moments. 

Danny looked up slightly to see Steve holding out a forkful of tiramisu. Danny opened his mouth and accepted the bite, closing his lips over it and allowing Steve to pull the fork out of his mouth in a slow, gentle movement. 

"Good?" Steve asked, his free hand stroking over Danny's head and neck. 

Danny nodded and swallowed. "Yes, Sir. Some of the best I've ever had."

They were mostly quiet as Steve alternated between feeding himself and Danny, occasionally leaning down to kiss him, tasting the sweet dessert on his mouth. When they were done, Steve rose and held out his hand. Danny took it and allowed Steve to pull him up and close, and Danny all but melted into Steve when the Dom lifted his chin and pressed their mouths together again, this time a little dirtier. 

After a few moments, Steve pulled back and smiled down at him. "Let's go. I really want to get you out on that dance floor."

~*~

The club, a name in a language Danny really had little hope of understanding or pronouncing off the top of his head, was something of a surprise. While he hadn't really expected there to be loud techno ear-bleeding noise, hearing the slow, sultry music coming from the speakers was a pleasant change of pace from many of the clubs he'd visited both as a patron and as an officer on a case. 

When Steve had said it was 'nice' and that it was 'sort of upscale', he hadn't been lying. In fact, the club was exclusive. Danny realized he'd heard about the club before from officers at HPD, most of them lamenting they'd never get in the door. Danny certainly never thought he'd get into one of the most exclusive places in all of Hawaii. 

As soon as they were inside, Steve had pulled Danny to the dance floor and pulled him close. Danny went willingly, tilting his head to the right and closing his eyes as Steve mouthed kisses along his jaw and neck while they swayed to the music. 

"How'd you get an invite here?" Danny asked after awhile. 

"Lifetime invites for the McGarrett family. My grandfather died on the _Arizona_ during the attack on Pearl Harbor. The owner's son was on the _Arizona_ , and was one of those who survived. After that, anyone who had family on the _Arizona_ was always welcome here, regardless of whether or not they were native, unless they did something incredibly stupid to get banned. When Dad came here, he took the guy up on the offer. This was one of his and Mom's favorite places to come," Steve said. 

"That's nice." Danny sighed and sank further into the headspace that allowed his dominant tendencies to take a backseat and his submissive needs to come to the forefront. He was safe with this man, this Dom. He wasn't sure how he knew he could trust Steve so implicitly. It was crazy, but for once in his life, he was prepared to just go with it, tired of over-thinking every little thing, exhausted from hardening himself against everyone around him but Grace. Danny rested his head against Steve's chest and rubbed his face against the soft fabric of Steve's shirt, inhaling the scent of him, letting the little bit of tension left in his body go.

Steve's hands moved languidly over his back and sides, occasionally sliding down to his ass, cupping him and pulling him up and closer, as if that was even possible. 

After a few songs, they broke to get a couple of beers and waters and took one of the just vacated booths. Steve slid in first, turning and laying one leg across the seat, and then he pulled Danny in to sit in front of him, his back to Steve's chest. 

Danny moaned softly when Steve's left hand slid across his waist and under his shirt to rest on his stomach, while the other one drifted lower to rub across his cock. He was already half hard as it was, so it wasn't going to take long for him to hit full mast and then his pants were going to get really uncomfortable. But he didn't try to stop Steve; instead he went boneless against him and ran his hands up and down Steve's arms. 

"Do you have any idea what I'm going to do to you tonight?" Steve murmured in his ear, breath tickling the sensitive skin and making him shiver, though he wasn't too sure it wasn't more the tone than that. 

"If it means me getting fucked more than once, I'm all for whatever you can throw at me," Danny murmured. 

Steve laughed, low and sultry. "Oh, that's definitely going to happen," he said, sliding his hand further up Danny's shirt and tweaking his nipple. "I plan on making you come as many times as possible tonight." 

"I'm capable of coming without ejaculation. Multiple times. Subs absolutely adored me because I could fuck for quite awhile before going soft," Danny said, turning his head and grinning when Steve's breath hitched and his eyes darkened with desire. 

Steve removed his hand from under Danny's shirt and reached for their waters, moving the untouched beers aside. "Let's drink these and go dance a little more, and then we're going to head over to your place and I'm going to show you how much you've driven me crazy since the moment I met you." 

"I look forward to it, Sir," Danny said, chuckling as he opened his water and downed it quickly.

~*~

Once they got to the apartment, Danny thought his nerves would go into overdrive again, but the sight of the door only proved to calm him even more. If he was anymore relaxed, Steve would have to carry him inside. 

He opened the door to his apartment while Steve pulled a bag out of the backseat of his truck. Once inside, Danny guided Steve back to the bedroom and flipped on the light.

A low whistle erupted from Steve when he saw the setup. "Nice," he said, setting his bag on the queen-sized bed and running his hands over the bars of the sex swing near the door. 

The bed was the main focus of the room. The chains on it were gleaming – Danny had gone through the room earlier in the day double checking that everything was ready for tonight – and the sheets were new, Egyptian cotton and very soft. If it were anyone else, he wouldn't have bought such high-priced sheets, but for Steve...

Danny watched Steve as he moved around the room and ran his fingers over the chains that hung from ceiling near the wall. Steve smiled at Danny as he set his bag on the clear tabletop, and then he stalked toward Danny and pulled him close. Danny let out a moan as his body molded against Steve's, his fingers spread across the small of Steve's back while he was kissed deep and hard.

A minute later, Steve stepped back. "Strip and kneel on the pillow," Steve said, his tone changing slightly, and Danny shivered as it pushed him further into his subspace. Quickly and efficiently he removed his clothing while Steve walked over to his bag and rummaged inside it. 

Danny tossed his pants onto the chair in the corner and then knelt down on the pillow he kept by the bed for the subs he brought here occasionally. He kept his eyes down and breathed slow and deep, while he listened to Steve move around the room. He heard the opening and closing of the cabinet, followed by the gentle whisper of cloth moving, the thump of boots and the tell-tale sound of a zipper. 

When Steve came to sit in front of him, the man was naked and hard. In short, the man before him was beautiful. He was lean and muscular, and his cock was long and thick and perfect, and Danny couldn't wait to feel it inside of him. Then Steve reached over and lifted Danny's head so he could look at him. "When's the last time anyone took you down?" It was phrased as a question, but Danny knew he wasn't going to allow anything less than the truth.

Danny swallowed hard. "Since before I collared Rachel. After I collared her, we were exclusive, and we never found another Switch or a Dom we could agree on. It wasn't long after the divorce that I moved out here, and I haven't found anyone I trusted enough until you."

"Far too long," Steve murmured, stroking his thumb across Danny's cheek. "I'm going to take such good care of you, Danny." 

"Thank you, Sir," Danny murmured, leaning into the caress. He had to admit, if only to himself, that he was more than a little touch-starved when it came indulging in play time, even when he was the dominant partner.

"Now, let's talk about a safe word. Do you have one or do we need to come up with one?"

Danny had been thinking about that for the last three days, and had come up with the perfect one. Shaking off all other thoughts, he said, "Stan."

"Stan?" Steve asked with a frown.

"Yes, Sir. Trust me, if I say that name, I am nowhere near okay with whatever is going on," Danny said and snorted. That was the understatement of the century.

Steve nodded. "We'll talk about why later. If I do something you don't like, say your safe word and we'll stop whatever it is and discuss it, okay?"

"Okay." 

"Now, since I thought it had been awhile since you submitted to anyone, I bought something special for you," Steve said, getting up and moving across the room. "Come here."

Danny stood and moved around the bed to stand next to Steve, and his eyes went wide and his cock jumped when he saw the flogger in Steve's hand. 

It was gorgeous. A long-tailed suede flogger, with at least twenty black, textured tails that were half an inch thick each. The handle was some kind of dark wood with blood red leather braid for grip. He reached out and ran his fingers through the tresses. 

"Want to use this?" Steve asked. 

"Yes, please," Danny said, licking his lips in anticipation. 

Steve smiled and took the lined cuffs Danny had laid out on the top of his toy box, and Danny held out his hands while the wrist cuffs were fastened. He moved easily when Steve guided him over to the wall and fastened him to the chains hanging from the ceiling. "Keep your balance while I put on the ankle cuffs and the spreader bar. I don't want you to bang your face on the wall."

"Yes, sir," Danny said, spreading his legs wide enough for the bar to be attached and he kept a tight grip on the chains so he wouldn't sway too far forward. 

"God, you're gorgeous," Steve said, one hand sliding over his ass, fingers dipping between his cheeks and brushing against his hole, while the other moved over his torso, tweaking his nipples firmly, then drifting over his stomach and further down until they grasped his cock and gave it a few good strokes. 

Steve moved over to the table and grabbed the horsehair flogger he'd taken out of the cabinet and ran his fingers through the coarse hair. He set it next to the suede flogger and the grabbed the lube and the plug he'd bought when he bought the flogger. Then he stepped up next to Danny.

"I'm going to plug you and then I'm going to start with the horsehair flogger. It's been a long time and I don't want to overwhelm you; it should give you a nice warm up."

"Whatever is your will, Sir," Danny said, dropping his head down and exposing the nape of his neck.

Steve smiled and flipped open the bottle in his hand. Once he had two fingers slicked up, he pressed them into Danny gently, smiling when they slid in easily and Danny shivered. "Play with toys often?" he said, keeping his tone low and sultry as his fingers slipped in and out of Danny's ass. 

"Sometimes," Danny replied, pushing back slightly against Steve's fingers.

Steve removed his fingers and gave Danny a light smack on the ass, which made the other man moan. "Stay still."

"Yes, Sir," Danny said, taking a deep breath and letting the small amount of tension that had trickled back in go. 

Steve ran one hand up and down Danny's spine briefly and then he grabbed the plug. It was black, five inches long, and less than two inches wide, and rippled. The girth was less than his own, but it would stimulate Danny's prostate nicely and ready him for Steve's cock.

Slicking up the plug, he quickly slid it into Danny, moving it in and out a few times, rubbing it over Danny's prostate until he got a loud, keening sound and he arched his back. Then he moved around to slide in front of Danny, and lifted his head to find Danny's pupils had blown wide open with arousal. 

He pressed a light kiss to Danny's mouth. "Let's talk about your pain threshold. I know you're not a masochist and you don't need pain to get off, so tell me what you like and what you can take."

"It's relatively low. I can take both low and medium intensity floggers, and higher intensity like buffalo if the Dom knows what he's doing, but anything more than that and it stops being fun and is just painful. A paddle or a crop can be fun, if it's not too intense, but I don't like whips."

"Okay, that's good," Steve murmured, pressing his mouth to Danny's once more, while one hand reached down and stroked him gently a couple of times. "Let's get started. Start with thirty with the horse-hair to warm you up. Sets of ten."

It wasn't a question, but Danny nodded anyway, and Steve picked up the horse hair flogger. He ran his fingers through the hair, smiling softly. He hadn't ever been a fan of causing pain during what he considered a pleasurable act, but flogging was an exception to the rule with the lower intensity floggers. And he was happy with the limits Danny set, because it would have been hell if their dynamics didn't match and he'd had to let him go. Steve knew it wasn't the best idea to get attached this early, but he'd never been one for low risk endeavors. And something in him told him that Danny was very much worth the risk.

Danny, his body relaxed and ready, shivered when the first lash from the flogger brushed across the skin. It was a very light sting, enough to tantalize and ready him for the heavier flogger, and he lost himself in the sensation as the lashes struck his body. 

The respites between the sets were brief, enough for him to get his head settled, and then Steve was sliding between him and the wall, lifting his head and brushing his mouth over Danny's.

"You okay?" Steve asked, looking into his eyes, studying him.

Danny nodded. "Yeah, I'm good," he said. "Feels really good."

"Okay. How do you feel about thirty with the suede flogger, sets of five?" Steve asked. 

"If that's what you wish. I can handle it," Danny said, leaning into Steve's hand as it caressed his cheek.

"Remember your safe word. If it gets to be too much, use it," Steve said, reaching down to fondle his erection briefly before kissing him again and sliding away. 

Danny took a few deep breaths and released them, relaxing his muscles and letting his mind go. The first lash across his shoulders was almost gentle, the sting of it only slightly more than that of the hair flogger. The following four were more of the same, caressing his skin from his back to his ass. After the first set, Danny sighed and settled his body for the next.

The next lash was sharper, with a lot more sting in it, the sound of the thud against his skin almost as good as the pain radiating over his body. By the time the tenth strike hit his body, Danny was begging for more, his cock straining for release. 

Clamping down on his body, he managed to get himself under control before Steve began the next set. It had been far too long since he'd allowed himself to have this, almost too long, and he found it difficult to control his body, but he'd do it for Steve, because the other man deserved to benefit from every bit of training he'd had.

The next ten were even sharper, just at the peak of his pain threshold, and it had him straining against the restraints and had him babbling who the hell knew what. Steve was good, far better than he expected. Perfect, really, and he had no idea how he got so lucky to have caught the man's eye.

Steve slid in front of him again and pressed a water bottle to his lips. "How are you feeling?" 

"Perfect," Danny said, smiling softly when Steve laughed.

"You're so beautiful when you hurt," Steve said, stepping forward and pressing his hard cock against Danny's stomach. "I'm going to fuck you so hard you're going to have trouble sitting, and everyone's gonna know what I did to you."

"I can get behind that," Danny said, lifting his head for another kiss.

"Ten more, and when I tell you to come on the last one, you can come, but don't ejaculate," Steve said.

"Yes, sir," Danny murmured, taking several deep breaths as Steve moved away.

The last ten were as delicious as the last, though they weren't nearly as sharp, but the steady thrum of pain and pleasure had him teetering on the edge for every lash, counting them in his head, anticipating the last one. 

Steve smiled as he saw Danny ready himself for the final blow. He could tell how close to the edge he was for the last fifteen strikes. The last, he decided, to keep gentle, angling it over the section of his back that looked the most sensitive. 

"Come," Steve said as the tresses glided across Danny's back with a light thud, and he watched with fascination as Danny cried out and his cock jerked through a dry orgasm. Running his hands up and down warm, rosy skin of Danny's back, he watched him shiver for a moment, before moving around and lifting Danny's chin to look him in the eye.

Danny's eyes were dark and slightly glazed over. "You with me?" he asked as he ran the hand not holding his head up around to caress the nape of Danny's neck. 

"Yeah, I'm good," Danny said after a few moments. 

"Good. Hold yourself up, because I'm going to remove the chains," Steve said, removing his hands only when Danny straightened up. He knelt down, unlocking the chains from the cuffs and removing the spreader bar before releasing the chains from the wrist cuffs. Then he led Danny over to the bed. "Lay down on your stomach."

Danny did so without protest and made himself comfortable, resting his head and part of his chest on one of the big pillows, and spreading his arms and legs out a little. 

"God, you're beautiful," Steve murmured, running one hand up Danny's leg before attaching the chains on the footboard to the ankle cuffs. They weren't as tight as they could be, but Steve remembered Danny mentioning something about a knee problem to Kono the day before and the last thing he wanted to do was aggravate his knee. Then he used the short chains located at the center of the headboard, closest to the mattress, to keep Danny's arms immobile. Testing them, he found that while they wouldn't distend his arms uncomfortably, there wasn't enough give to let him lever himself up. 

Making sure a condom and the lube were within reach, Steve settled himself between Danny's legs and slid both hands up over the backs of his thighs, over his ass, and up his back, inspecting the work he'd done on Danny's back more closely. 

The skin on his back and ass was pink and warm, only slightly darker where welts had formed, and he smiled, pleased with both himself and Danny. Using his nails, he lightly skimmed them over the surface, his smile growing wider as Danny shuddered and clenched his ass around the plug still inside him. 

Steve grasped the handle of the plug and pulled it out slowly and then pushing it back in again until the widest part stretched Danny's hole open. 

"Please, Steve," Danny begged, using what little leverage he had with his legs to thrust his ass up toward him.

Steve smacked his ass hard enough to leave a mark that was visible over the redness already there. "You gave me your ass to play with, and I'll do with it as I please, so stay still. I'll get you there; don't worry," Steve said as he casually thrust the plug back into Danny's ass a few more times before removing it and replacing it with his tongue. 

"God, yes, please," Danny groaned, opening his legs as wide as his bindings would allow. 

Smiling, Steve slid his hand under Danny and played with the head of his cock while he ran his tongue between his cheeks, his other hand spreading Danny open.

Danny's breath hitched as Steve's tongue flicked against his hole, teasing the nerve endings there, while his fingers deftly rubbed against the head of his cock, and Danny buried his face in the pillow, trying to keep still like Steve wanted. 

Then Steve, the evil bastard, abandoned his ass and his dick and began kissing and biting his way up Danny's body. The sharp nips and soft lips against his oversensitive skin felt exquisite. It had been far too long since he'd been in this position, but part of him was glad that he'd waited for someone like Steve. 

His breath hitched when Steve bit and sucked at the back of his neck, while he rubbed his erection against Danny's ass. "You ready for my cock, baby?" Steve murmured against his skin. 

"Yes, please, please, please," Danny replied, turning his head to the side as much as possible, though he could only see the top of Steve's head and his forehead. 

Steve lifted up and pressed a kiss to his mouth when he saw Danny looking at him. "Be still, and let me do all the work," Steve said, nipping his ear before pulling back. 

Danny whimpered at the loss of Steve's weight on top of him, but the rip of a wrapper and the flick of a lid had him relaxing into the bed again. He felt Steve straddle his thighs and then push in with one smooth thrust until he was all the way in. Steve was big, but not too big, and he enjoyed the slight burn of his ass being stretched around him. 

"Not too much?" Steve asked him.

Danny shook his head. "No, sir. Feels good."

Steve's first few thrusts were slow and shallow but steadily grew deeper and faster until he was riding him hard, pushing him into the mattress. The feeling of Steve inside him was amazing, and it took everything in him not to come from the way his cock was rubbing against the sheets. 

Closing his eyes, he let the feeling of Steve in him and on him wash over him, and he was only vaguely aware of opening his mouth, words coming out in a stream, but he was too far gone to make any sense of what he was saying. 

Steve seemed to like it, because he began thrusting even harder and pressing kisses onto his shoulders. "Come. Come now," he said sometime later.

At Steve's command, Danny cried out and came all over the sheets so hard his vision dimmed. When he finally came back to himself, Steve was pushing into him with small movements, his body shaking against his. 

Danny let himself drift while Steve pulled out of him, making a noise of protest at the loss, and was vaguely aware of the chains being removed from his ankles and then his wrists.

Danny smiled as Steve rolled him over, and he was only mildly surprised when Steve immediately reattached the chains to his wrist cuffs. 

"You didn't think I was even remotely done with you, did you?" Steve asked, his tone deep and rough, as he hovered over Danny's body. 

"I'd hoped not," Danny said, smirking as Steve leaned down and pressed their mouths together.

~*~

Danny moaned softly, shivering when Steve's hand stroked down his back. He was still drifting nicely; he hadn't reached this kind of subspace in years, and that really was a shame, considering how good he felt at the moment.

It took him a few minutes to get his eyes to cooperate and open, and he was surprised to see that it was nearly three. "Need to get home soon," he murmured. "Never stay out overnight, unless Grace is at a friend's."

Steve pressed a kiss to his right shoulder. "I'll take you home," he said, and he slid off the bed.

With a low groan, Danny got up and searched the dresser for some sweats and a t-shirt.

"Shower?" Steve asked.

Danny shook his head. "I'll take one at home. Water heater kind of sucks here, and I know you'll end up in there with me, and while it might be fun in the beginning, getting frozen out won't be. I swear they refrigerate the cold water before sending it through the pipes in this place."

Steve laughed, low and sultry – truly, that laugh should be illegal for what it did to Danny's libido – and wrapped his arms around Danny's waist. "I could always warm you up again."

Danny sighed and tilted his head, exposing his bare neck and grinning when Steve bit it, as if it offended him. "Yeah, but then we'd never leave. Seriously, it's insane, what you do to me. I should have my head examined."

"Your head is just fine," Steve murmured against his neck. "To be honest, I've never met anyone I wanted the way I want you."

"Some pretty scary shit, isn't it?" he asked, knowing exactly how Steve felt.

"Yeah, now let's get going before I start a long conversation about just what I have to do to keep you," Steve said, kissing his neck once more before backing away.

"Yeah, we so don't have time for that," he said, though the thought of Steve's collar around his neck did all kinds of weird, terrifying things to his insides.

They got dressed quickly and headed out of the apartment, after a few minutes of reassuring Steve that no, he didn't need to come back and clean up because he had a service that cleaned the apartment and sterilized the equipment, and yes, they were certified, by the _Lokelani_ pleasure house no less.

It didn't take very long to get back to the house, and Danny wasn't surprised that Steve walked him to the door, one arm wrapped possessively around him.

He opened the front door and turned toward Steve for a kiss. He couldn't even pretend to object when Steve lifted him up and braced him against the doorway so they were eye to eye.

Wrapping his legs around Steve's waist, Danny allowed Steve to take his mouth in a deep, lingering kiss.

"I really, really don't want to go," Steve said, face pressed into Danny's neck.

There was only a moment's hesitation on Danny's part before he said, "Then stay."

Steve pulled back and looked him in the eye. "Are you sure?" he asked, lowering him and brushing one hand against Danny's jaw. "Means Grace will see me in the morning."

Danny swallowed and nodded. "Yeah, I'm sure. I think it's stupid to try to even pretend that this was a onetime thing or even just a casual fling. And we're going to have a long talk about this. But yeah, I kind of really want my daughter to get used to having you around."

And there it was again, that big, goofy, beaming smile that had Danny thinking stupid things like shopping for collars and wedding rings after only one date and fuck, he was really insane.

But looking at Steve, who looked like he just won some kind of lottery, he was okay with that.

"So this mean I get to come along this weekend?" Steve asked as they closed the door behind them and Danny set the alarm.

"Yeah, yeah," Danny said, leading him toward the staircase.

"Cool."

"Just don't even start to think that our private life is going to have any bearing on our professional, or that I'm not going to bitch you out for the stupid shit you do while we're on the clock," Danny said as they ascended the stairs.

"Wouldn't dream of it."

_The End...Except, you know. Not really._


End file.
